Virtual Enrollment Party

Right now I use Filemaker for county fair and I export my member info from BR to Excel, then to Filemaker. Will I still be able to get member info into a format for Filemaker to use??
(Becky) You betcha. 4HOnline has a pretty slick export utility to take info directly out to Excel.

With this new system, are you still willing/able to enter EFNEP/FNP youth data?
(Becky) You betcha. Unless/until we can get something streamlined so that the EFNEP/FNP data can be entered ONCE into just our program!

Can we opt to have data converted then change our mind before the actual conversion date? It would be really nice to have a running record of years in a project area--and not have to re-enter a lot of other stuff, but I remember the mess we had when they tried to convert Quicken data to Cougar Mountain. I know it's not the same, but...
(Becky) Changing your mind will involve emptying the files once they're converted and in the new program. I don't know how long that will take, but will ask James at 4HOnline. If you are a WINTER conversion, in theory, when I tell you that "the day" has arrived, you could tell me NOT to convert your data. But if you're in the FALL group, I'm going to go with what you enter on the form.

My understanding is, if I enter my new enrollments now (on BR) and choose Fall/Empty, I will have to re-enter those same members in 4HOnline. Am I
correct? OR will they be converted?.
(Becky) If you want the data to remain in the system, you will need to choose the "converted" option. An empty dataset is just that--no records.

Becky-One quick question: For Decision 2-if we would choose to start over (start out empty) and basically enter everything fresh-would more than one user be able to be on at the same time to enter enrollment data? I realize that up to 4 staff members would have access to enter the data, but could only one be in the system at any given time?
(Becky) EXCELLENT question!! You can have more than one person "in the program" at a time. Unlimited concurrent users, in truth. I just wanted to start out with a manageable number of users per county so I picked four. But, yes, you could indeed host a "data entry party", and with enough chocolate, get all your rowdy friends to help enter information!

Because our enrollments are later in our county than most, our staff seems to be leaning towards switching over to the new program this fall. However, my one question before we fill out the information is whether or not there is a cost, and how is it calculated?
(Becky) Conversion costs are on a state-wide basis (regardless of how many of you choose it) and will be paid by the state office as part of the purchase price. Your annual "Blue Ribbon Support Fee" will continue to fund the program costs, training, the 800 number, and part of my salary just as it has in the past. No additional costs to change systems will be passed to counties.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to "cruise" 4H Online. Questions so far:
1) How much of the data will convert? All, most, some?
Most. Right now my biggest concern is secondary parents. I don't think I can make that work.
2) I about fell out of my chair when I saw a "payments" module. Can it be true that the computer gods have smiled on me? Can we set this up to be any kind of payment? I'd be great of club leaders could see what they owe for publications.
Don't get too excited. We'd still have to be able to legally take money over the internet and ISU hasn't given us that permission yet. Perhaps someday, though.
3) Will Iowa's projects still have the 4 digit numbers to allow for 10-key entry? I was able to 10-key and tab through the Group module. BR allowed for a lot of key function (CTRL-F for File). [I was able to enter the first letter of a project, arrow to the right one, then tab to Add Project & hit the Enter Key].
To be determined. Maybe. There will be different things that work swell in terms of keyboard shortcuts, and probably some things that don't work quite as well.

Becky, I have a few questions for you.

If we choose to transfer now - Fall of 2009, when will we know if converted data will include the previous Project & Award history??? We are weighing the pros & cons of Populated vs. Empty. Just trying to decide if it will take more time to input all data vs. using converted. Will the new system allow Project & Award history to be converted or allow us to create this info if all fields are Empty?? If not will we have to rely on reports from BR for this info after Sept 2010??

If we transfer now, will we eventually walk through Year End steps in BR: Utitily/Process Year-End Files??

(Becky) Converting will LIKELY include a project history, likely NOT include award history. If you choose not to convert, you will be able to enter everything--including the years in project, etc. When you get done, all the data that you had stored in BR will be accessible to you in 4HOnline. The year-end process is remarkably different in the new program. I'm going to have to think it through a little more, but I believe that we'll want to convert data that has been through the year-end process already.

Just a thought to keep in mind as you're deciding on the empty/converted issue for youth files...re-entering everything will give you a lot of opportunity to get familiar with the system. That is one of the main driving factors for me. And having played on the program some, I believe it is user-friendly enough for this to work well. I don't really WANT to re-enter everything, but think of how well I'll know the program by the end of that process! :)

I think you will all be pleasantly surprised by how easy this program is to use. It will, obviously, be a change, and there will of course be a learning curve. But I do think it is a positive change!

And I'm very excited to hear (from an earlier post) that more than one user can be in the program at a time--what a blessing!

Is there going to be any training on this new enrollment? If so, when and how will that be completed? With unlimited staff in county offices it is challenging to go to trainings.
(Becky) I think I need a new post on this because otherwise this comment is going to get WAY long!!